Baby Bulge
by Heliotropium
Summary: She even let him marry her before the bulge became noticeable and scandal broke out. Magnus/Gaol, angel shenanigans, and pregnancy. Companion to Curimuch's Moult because we tight like that.


A companion piece to Curimuch's _Moult _series/drabble set (with her permission), because I am resigned to the fact that I will be the only one who will ever write Magnus/Gaol.

One day we were discussing babies or something and somehow it came to her headcanon that if Magnus and Gaol ever made babies, they'd have three in quick succession, wait five years, then have another three because they be cray cray. Then my internet cut off for a day and I had nothing else to do.

* * *

The first time they realized Gaol was pregnant, it had been an accident. Even after the war against the Underworld, she and Magnus had opted to take it slow. They had been friends since they were in diapers and neither had any desire to rush it. If they discovered they were ill suited to be lovers, having a slow relationship would hypothetically still let them be friends. It had taken one careless and possibly drunken night to change that.

At first Gaol had been upset. She wasn't worried about the pain of carrying the child. She and pain were great friends from the years of hard work and injuries. She was more concerned for her future responsibilities. Gaol was a tactician and fighter. She was more used to thinking about ways to tackle enemies than dirty laundry and child care. Domesticity scared her and she feared for her status. The world was still cruel to her and any semblance to femininity she exhibited would be preyed upon. No one would take her seriously anymore if she had a baby. She was greatly disappointed when her predictions came true, but took great joy when she rectified their opinions after giving everyone who ridiculed her a black eye and made them cry. It turned out that her hormones had only made her stronger, as it fueled her rage and threw all self-restraint out the window.

Magnus on the other had had been ecstatic, giddy even. Although no one could replace his first child, the prospects of another bundle of joy in his life made him happy. Children brought out his gentle side like no other. He recognized the signs early and only kissed Gaol when she complained about dizziness and morning sickness. Of course, when she realized he was hiding his foresight, she rewarded him with several bruises and nearly cracked his ribs. He knew it frustrated her whenever he held her more tenderly than the day before, and he grew happier when she resigned to her fate and leaned against him. She even let him marry her before the bulge became noticeable and scandal broke out.

A few months into pregnancy, not much had really changed around their new found, mostly permanent base of operations. Everyone still did their share of chores, Gaol still led strategy and only quit fighting monsters when Magnus complained about the baby's safety. Pit even visited, surprised by the obvious load she was carrying. Though he meant to spend the day sparring with Magnus and overseeing reconstruction of the Overworld, he spent it talking to Gaol and helping her with her chores. It seemed to be the first time he had seen a pregnant human woman up close and took delight in learning all he could. The only thing that disappointed him was that he visited before the baby began to kick. Soon, he became a frequent visitor and would always put his hand on her stomach in hopes of being the first, besides the mother and maybe the father, to feel the baby kick. The angel had actually been away when the baby did first kick, and charged through sky and land to get his wish. Gaol was amused and impressed by his determination. Magnus was not, as Pit had literally rammed him off his own wife to feel his child kick.

Finally, the child had been born after hours of pain, screams, and tears. For a moment, Magnus feared he would lose his best friend and wife during the struggle as he had lost his first, but Gaol proved to be a most resilient woman.

"It's a girl!" The midwife declared. The woman made quick work of cleaning up the baby before handing her to the mother to hold for the first time.

"She's beautiful…" Gaol breathed, cradling her daughter. Magnus, finally allowed to step in, gently brushed some hair behind her ear. She smiled up at him and held up their baby. Magnus quickly gathered the tiny human in his arms. The baby lazily opened her eyes.

"She has your eyes." He announced. They spent the rest of the night pointing out whose features she shared.

Pit arrived the following morning bearing the freshest and ripest fruits they had ever seen. He insisted on only letting Gaol eat it, but turned the other cheek when she took bites and had Magnus kiss her. She was certain he was turning red because his goddess decided not to spare him the intimate details. The way he squealed "La—Lady Palutena, they're still in the room!" in a few octaves higher than his normal voice had to say _something_.

Caring for the baby proved to be difficult for the couple, even with Magnus' previous experience. Gaol knew firsthand most of the basics of child care. She was the only one he trusted with his first after the mother passed. The one thing she never bothered to learn was feeding the child; she had always handed the child to the wet nurse and fled the room during feeding time. But Gaol was the source of their daughter's meals this time. She only wished the child would not get hungry at the most inappropriate time. He had to reschedule strategy meetings to accommodate the baby's appetite. She got the hang of it within few weeks and was well adjusted in taking care of the baby and her duties with the mercenary group within a couple of months.

And then she was pregnant again. She blamed Magnus and his eagerness. Somehow, just somehow, he relearned how to make his puppy dog face at her that she could not refuse, even if her life depended on it. Their mostly permanent base of operations became permanent and while most of the mercenaries working with them left, some loyal and married few stayed and settled down with them. Between odd jobs from the town nearby and the money earned from monster hunting, they managed to get by well enough. It helped that Pit would come down, help with tasks, and leave before they paid him. He claimed to be helping rebuild after the devastation his body caused during the three years it was under the Chaos Kin's control and to repay his debt for using Magnus' body to regain it, but the strongest human warrior knew better. It had taken torture (Gaol revoking his baby holding and tummy touching rights) to get him to tone it down (he instead gave his share of the money to one of the wives at the fort, who later gave a portion to Gaol). Gaol even managed to command more respect when she took down a thief while holding her baby, and beat off another while holding her baby in one arm _and_ a sack of flour in the other. She was a most resilient woman indeed.

Stranger yet was Magnus with his daughter. Watching him care for her was like watching a giant tending to small animals. He could still hold her with one hand, which he often did when she could hold her own head, much to Gaol's concern. This gentleness seemed to do nothing for his image. If anything, he appeared even more terrifying as he stared down anyone who disagreed with him while holding his precious bundle. He carried her around everywhere and only let another hold her for a few moments before retrieving his daughter. The only ones who he let hold longer were her mother and Pit, who she seemed to really like and readily smiled and giggled when he appeared.

Nine more crazy months flew by and a second daughter was born. The fanfare accompanying the birth of their first was nothing compared to what their second had brought. Even Dark Pit visited this time, bearing no presents but a thinking mind Gaol could appreciate amidst the myriad of inane behavior the household was currently suffering. He thirsted for knowledge previously inaccessible to him, and as host, she was more than happy to satisfy her guest. No, humans are not built like cats so they can't have litters. Yes, you can hold her. No, she will not defecate on you once you pick her up. It's okay, she's only crying because she's hungry. Unfortunately, you'll have to ask Magnus if you want to see her eat, he gets a little possessive at times. Dark Pit excused himself when his interrogation was over. Gaol would periodically find piles of wild nuts, berries, and mushrooms, and the occasional fish, all accompanied by a black feather or few within the premise.

Though she claimed humans to be hardy creatures, Gaol found herself doubting that claim when she became pregnant a third time. It had barely been two months since her second daughter's birth. Magnus seemed to take it on himself to repopulate the Overworld, a sentiment Gaol did not share. Still, every child brought her joy. She was so happy, she couldn't even feel any guilt whenever her husband was in minor pain. This time, he was around more often to help her take care of their two daughters. Unfortunately, it meant a major source of money was now gone, if Pit would stop bringing down golden trinkets he claimed was centuries out of fashion in Skyworld or leftovers from Medusa's vaults that she still owed humanity. The entire guardian angel thing became so out of hand, Gaol once caught Dark Pit leaving an enormous pile of acorns after one of his visits.

"I—It's not like I got them just for you! I just found I had an entire pot I forgot after I gathered them and I figured you'd need them more."

The level of cliché in his claim actually hurt her brain.

The third pregnancy was over when yet another girl joined the ranks of Magnus and Gaol's daughters. The peaceful look on the baby's sleeping face was more than worth the insanity the parents endured. The pair of overly curious angels who were allowed to witness the birth looked traumatized and humbled. Ha, serves them right, both parents thought to themselves. Magnus shooed the two out. Their synchronization was quite eerie as they both stumbled over themselves to leave in the exact same manor. He thought nothing of it, quickly returning to his wife's side.

"Why do I have the feeling they're only going to be helping out more?" He chuckled. She giggled in return as he kissed her cheek.

"I just hope they don't trip over themselves to help every single expecting mother." She sighed dreamily. She stopped caring what those two did, as long as it didn't get them in life threatening trouble. They were both endearing in their own way, Pit with his exuberance and honest desire to help and Dark Pit with his curiosity and the fact that he actually stops to think. At the same time, those traits were exasperating and she was glad her family could have any small moment of peaceful privacy.

Two months later, Gaol used a hold she learned that even Magnus could not break from and threatened he wouldn't be able to have any more children for the rest of his life if he got her pregnant so soon again. He believed she would.

* * *

Their eldest was now eight years old. It had been a rough five years since Gaol last gave birth, but they savored every moment. Now, all three of their daughters could run around and talk coherently. They were still a handful, but they at least had other distractions that didn't require their parents' constant attention. She had to admit, she was a tad bit jealous of an angel's growth rate and energy reserve. Magnus had recently began to work full time again, so they weren't just scraping by or living off the generosity of others. Gaol even started fighting monsters alongside her husband again. All was well until she began to notice boys shirking away from her girls and discovered the source to be their over protective father. His glares were quite frightening when they were children and he took it on himself to fend off unwanted suitors. Oh dear. She had to save them from unnecessary drama and daddy issues before it was too late. After they tucked their daughters into bed, Gaol grasped Magnus' hand and led him back to their chambers with quite giggling in their wake. He of course knew from the intimate gesture what was going to follow.

"Wait, are you sure you're not going to get pregnant?" He asked, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. Her five year old threat was still fresh in his head.

Gaol laughed softly and kissed him. "It's okay. We have extra hands to help out this time."

And she found the conversation repeating in reverse the following year, and again the year after that.

* * *

A few things to leave with.

Curi said she was tempted to curse Magnus with only daughters. She might have been joking, but sometimes I go too far. So that's why at least their first three are girls. I want to give Magnus some pity and make one from the last batch a boy, but since it's supposed to fit with her story, it's up to her imagination.

Personal note to correct the time period between when a women gives birth and can get preggers again. Magnus is eager indeed.

Magnus' first wife (or girl he knocked up whatever) dying in childbirth is my headcanon. It's not on any idol whatsoever. The gender of his first child is also ambiguous and has been left so, but my headcanon wants to claim that it was a girl too. Curi's curse supports this.

Lastly, I hope everyone enjoyed it. It surprises me how little dialog I have in this yet how much I wrote. Hopefully I left enough moments to breathe in there to last until the end.


End file.
